FanDuel MLB DFS Picks: Tuesday 6/17/25

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Be sure to incorporate our MLB DFS projections into your research process.

Let's check out the top options on today's main slate.

Note: All MLB odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook. All stats come from FanGraphs and Baseball Savant unless noted otherwise.

Top MLB DFS Picks

Pitcher Breakdown

Robbie Ray ($10,700)

Robbie Ray's salary is hard to stomach on a slate with so much offensive firepower, but he's the clear SP1 in a home date with the Cleveland Guardians.

Though Ray is coming off his worst fantasy showing of the season, he'd been lights-out prior to the San Francisco Giants' trip to Coors. In eight previous starts, Ray pitched to a 1.70 ERA and averaged 47.1 FanDuel points (FDP) per game.

For the season, Ray has maintained a 28.1% strikeout rate while rocking a 2.55 ERA. That'll play with the Guardians in town, for Cleveland ranks just 23rd in wRC+ (77) and 24th in wOBA (.277) against left-handed pitching. They've struck out at a top-10 clip (25.1%) in that split.

Our MLB DFS projections peg Robbie Ray for 37.2 FDP. That's easily the highest projection on the main slate and is enough to make him the second-best value at pitcher (3.48x).

Matthew Liberatore ($9,100)

Matthew Liberatore has struggled across his last three starts, allowing 16 runs after permitting just 10 across his previous eight outings. That's inflated his ERA and dropped his salary in DFS.

But the 25-year-old southpaw still has a 3.64 SIERA and 3.59 xFIP on the year, and he's maintained a 1.19 WHIP despite a less-than-ideal .308 BABIP.

We've also seen him unlock a bit more of the strikeout stuff we saw in the minors. Liberatore's called + swinging-strike rate (CSW%) is up to a career-best 27.6%, and that's helped him clear five strikeouts in four separate starts.

With a road matchup against the Chicago White Sox on deck, I'm bullish Liberatore can get back to the 32.3 FDP he averaged across his first 10 starts. Chicago has the league's fifth-highest strikeout rate (26%) against left-handed pitching, and they're a lackluster 21st in wRC+ (81).

Ben Brown ($8,500)

Taking salary and upside into consideration, Ben Brown might be my favorite pitcher on tonight's main slate. Brown will face the Milwaukee Brewers for the second time this season after carving them up for 40 FDP across six scoreless innings last month.

That tied Brown's third-highest fantasy output of the year, so I can't blame you if his 5.71 ERA and 1.47 WHIP scare you off the moderate salary. But the underlying numbers are rock-solid; Brown has a 3.30 FIP and 3.33 SIERA, plus he's posted a 26.8% strikeout rate. The second-year pitcher has been pretty unlucky by way of a .368 BABIP, but his slate-leading 31.7% called + swinging-strike rate (CSW%) still suggests there's plenty of upside here.

Milwaukee is the right kind of matchup for someone like Brown to get right. The Brewers have struggled mightily against right-handed pitching, ranking 25th in wOBA (.304) and 26th in wRC+ (93). They're middle-of-the-pack in strikeout rate (21.6%) against righties but have baseball's second-highest CSW% (29%) since the beginning of June.

Will Warren ($8,200)

I'm going to be more interested in the value arms than usual with high totals across the main slate. With the Los Angeles Angels in the Big Apple, that's inevitably going to draw me toward Will Warren.

The 26-year-old righty has an ugly 4.86 ERA through 14 starts, and his walk rate is up to 10.5% after issuing four free passes in two of his last three starts.

But a 3.55 SIERA and 3.32 xFIP suggest better days are ahead for the Yankee junkballer. He continues to generate strikeouts at an above-average clip (28.6%), and his 30.3% CSW% is the third-highest on tonight's slate.

That sets him up nicely against an Angels side that struck out at the highest rate (26.1%) and walked at the fifth-lowest rate (7.6%) against right-handed pitching.

Stacks to Target

Yankees

Players to Target: Aaron Judge ($5,100), Jazz Chisholm ($3,500), Cody Bellinger ($3,300), Austin Wells ($3,100), Jasson Dominguez ($3,000), Giancarlo Stanton ($2,900)

I'm genuinely concerned for Kyle Hendricks tonight. The soft-tossing 35-year-old has pitched to a 5.20 ERA through 13 starts, and he's currently allowing the highest contact rate (84.9%) and second-highest barrel rate (9%) of his career. Hendricks' velocity is down (again), and he's posted the worst ERA indicators (4.85 SIERA; 4.96 xFIP) in 12 years as a pro.

The New York Yankees could absolutely tee off here considering they rank third in wRC+ (120) and have baseball's second-highest HR/FB% (15.3%) against righties.

Their 5.6-run implied total is the third-highest on FanDuel's main slate, while Aaron Judge is the highest-projected hitter in our MLB DFS projections.

Dodgers

Players to Target: Shohei Ohtani ($4,800), Freddie Freeman ($3,900), Mookie Betts ($3,700), Will Smith ($3,400), Max Muncy ($3,000), Hyeseong Kim ($2,700)

San Diego Padres righty Randy Vasquez hasn't been great, but he's still punched above his weight and could be due for some regression. He has a 3.57 ERA to this point, but that's backed up by a 5.56 SIERA and 5.60 xFIP. Vasquez has nearly as high of a walk rate (11.9%) as strikeout rate (13.9%), and neither his barrel rate (11.7%) nor hard-hit rate (41.1%) are especially worrisome.

He's managed to hold down a rotation spot thanks to some BABIP (.249) luck, but that isn't something we can bank on long-term. And while Vasquez did hold the Los Angeles Dodgers to just two hits and a single run when they squared off last week, I wouldn't bank on that sticking. LA leads the league in wRC+ against righties (126), and they're tied for tonight's highest implied total (6.1 runs).

Astros

Players to Target: Isaac Paredes ($3,400), Jeremy Pena ($3,200), Jose Altuve ($3,000), Yainer Diaz ($2,800), Cam Smith ($2,600)

The Houston Astros are a step below the Dodgers and Yankees tonight, but facing a lefty at the Athletics' hitter-friendly venue still makes them one of Tuesday's best MLB DFS stacks.

That lefty would be JP Sears -- someone with a 5.08 ERA and near-50% fly-ball rate. Sears is in the 13th percentile for expected ISO allowed, and he's permitted a mind-boggling .409 wOBA at home this season.

Houston has mauled southpaws to this point, ranking third in wRC+ (122) and HR/FB% (14.1%).

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.